Like Before
by Babsy-chan
Summary: Makoto and Motoki meet again years after Crystal Tokyo had been established. But who said that falling in love is easy when you've got the whole Solar System on your shoulders? The two trudge through the rough life complicated by non-aging, complicated relations, and expectations from subordinates.
1. Chapter 1

**I DON'T OWN SAILORMOON.**

Yeah, I'm back to writing. =D

*** Chapter 1 – Hello**

"One Usagi Special", the woman wearing a baseball cap, a jacket and jeans ordered to the nearly white haired man in front of her while she sits on one of the high stools near the counter. She was resolutely not making eye contact with anyone and was pretending to be reading the menu book she was holding.

Motoki, her server, watched carefully the girl, or rather, the royalty (as they, his previous friends, were all known that way now), as she's succeeding in not making her presence known. That must be her motive, he thought, as he took in her appearance. She's dressed the way as how he knew them best and not in the customary flowing gowns they wear at the palace. He drew in closer to her and caught a glimpse of the glowing sign on her forehead that her bangs were trying desperately to hide.

"The Usagi Special is not on that menu, your highness." He whispered so that only she can hear then straightened up and smiled.

Makoto looked up, and studied the face of the person who had identified her so easily despite her attempt at camouflage.

"Mo-Motoki-kun?" She stuttered wide-eyed and her hand landed on her agape mouth in surprise.

"Feeling depressed your highness?" He asked as he grinned at her and began collecting the stuff he needed to make her special milkshake that's named after the queen.

"Oh, where are my manners?" He added when she didn't move an inch and he tilted his head in an attempt at a bow but his previous friend hurriedly blocked him.

"Ssshhhh! Cut it!" She said, looking around if anyone noticed. "And stop this 'your highness' thing, you can still call me Mako-chan."

The guy returned to his blender and worked in silence. After a while, he looked up. "I am under the impression that I really couldn't anymore…" He said distractedly then went about his task.

The royalty was stunned with what the guy said and regarded him seriously. "Of course you could, because you're our friend." She tried to convince him but the aged eyes of the guy they used to hangout with didn't even seem to agree nor disagree with her. How long has it been really since she last stepped foot at the crown's? She asked herself. Twenty? Thirty years? She cannot know for sure, because ever since she had stopped ageing, she had cared less and less about time.

"Motoki, how old are you?" She asked, obviously at lost at how many years have really passed already because of her disregard of time and because 'busy' is not a suitable or strong enough word to explain how her everyday goes. She just happened to snap today and decided she needed a break so head off to the place that had always made her smile.

Baby blue eyes met green ones and Motoki softened when he saw how lost the powerful woman in front of him seemed. "I am three years older than the five of you and as old as his majesty." He saw that that wasn't the answer she was looking for. "Biologically fifty – eight years old; considering I was twenty – three before the frost and it has been thirty – five years after the awakening." He computed for her as he wiped the sides of her tall glass then placed her order in front of her.

She twirled the straw in her drink repeatedly as she got absorbed in her train of thought. Thirty – five years since the awakening and several more years of living to serve the people. Thirty – five years of being nothing but co - ruler of the solar system and centuries more of it. Thirty – five years of defending the kingdom and being a politician. Does she have regrets? No. She knows she'd do it over and over again because it is for the greater good. It's just… It was way easier before the frost. Granted, they had to fight demons and invaders from space at fourteen, she reasoned, but at least, she and her friends can still be normal and carefree girls after defeating the monster of the day.

The old guy noticed his previous friend spacing out a lot. "Come on inside if you're still considering me a friend." He invited and broke her pondering.

She nodded, brought her drink with her and followed Motoki into the back of the store. He led her through a flight of stairs, into a hallway and eventually into a room.

She was instantly awed as soon as he had opened the lights for her; for there on all the walls are framed clippings of news reports about the senshis from since before the frost to the present.

She approached a wall and began reading some of the headlines: 'Senshis Saves Daycare', 'Senshis Saves School Bus', 'Senshis Saves City'… and so on and so forth.

"I have been a fan of the Sailor Senshis even before I found out it was you guys." Motoki told her smiling, his eyes obviously reminiscing.

Makoto turned to look at him but something else caught her eye: on one of the side tables nearest Motoki was propped a huge picture frame whose inhabitants she recognized. She approached this and lifted the photograph gingerly; a single tear escaped as she looked at the esteemed picture judging from its place in the room. It was them: her, Mamoru, Motoki and the rest of the gang at Usagi's surprise birthday party and they were all in their pajamas. It was taken a year after the defeat of Galaxia and everyone was celebrating the birthday of their savior; unknowing that their lives will be paused a thousand years just two years after.

"You have no idea how much I value that I had once been inside the group of friends of the king, the queen and the rest of you." He said as he reached out and wiped with a handkerchief the lone tear that escaped.

She held the hand on her face, squeezed it and with the other, positioned the picture on its place again. "You will always be our friend." She had said with authority, her Jupiter sign flashing. "You will always be one of us."

"Are you threatening me?" He suddenly teased, and with the confused look the brunette gave him, pointed at the shining sign on her forehead.

"Uh, no…" She let go of his hand and approached the mirror on the opposite wall. "This just tends to act up when we're being emotional." She admitted as she examined herself.

Motoki followed her and looked at her reflection also. "What you said earlier is not true… I am not one of you. Just look, you're still as beautiful as before; but me, I look even way older to be your father."

Silence was thick between them as they regarded each other's reflection.

"Why are you really here Kino-san?" He asked, noticing the stress and loneliness in her eyes as he stares at them through the mirror.

"Kino-san?" She clarified. "Where did Mako-chan go?" She asked as she turned around to face him.

"You tell me…" He answered. "Mako-chan was cheerful, always smiling, always on the go, girly, and most of all, can always be seen with one of her friends."

It wasn't the answer she was expecting so looked down. She wanted to talk to a friend, right? She asked herself then looked at Motoki and decided to tell him the truth. "The Kinmoukians are here for a visit again…" She answered so softly that Motoki had a hard time hearing her properly. Luckily, there's only the two of them in the room that he heard her okay.

He tilted his head a bit. "You don't like them?" He had to ask, because he can remember that even way back, the trio was hanging out with the girls.

"It's not that…" She paused, remembering that Kinmouku is their closest ally. "I have to go." She said so suddenly and made to move away but Motoki caught her wrist and effectively stopped her.

"Motoki, I…" She grasped for words but nothing coherent was formed.

"Just come back here tomorrow, I'll make an extra appetizing Usagi Special for you." He said with a smile and let go.

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**A/N:** This story is somewhat related to Until Tomorrow but this happened earlier. Thanks for reading.


	2. Chapter 2

*** Chapter 2 – Comfort**

"Mako-chan?" Ami asked as she opened slightly the door to her friend's chambers.

Green eyes met with blue ones and wrinkled to a smile. She knew her friend too well and expected her to appear at her door precisely at this time. Ami entered fully and locked the door on her back. She approached and sat down next to Makoto on her bed.

They sat in silence for a while until Makoto can't take it anymore and wrapped an arm around the smaller woman's shoulders and pulled her closer. Ami looked up at her before leaning in fully at her friend's chest and wrapping her arms on her waist.

Tears escaped silently and landed on light blue silk.

Makoto lifted her chin and brushed away the salty liquid.

"I know I'm being stupid… I know I should be used to her leaving by now…" Ami told herself more than Makoto and the brunette had no intentions of reprimanding further a broken friend already.

"I love you…" It was all that Makoto replied with a squeeze on her shoulder.

Ami looked up once more and stretched her body until her lips met Makoto's and she accepted the kiss. When they parted, Makoto's arms lowered to Ami's waist and she rested her chin on top of her head.

"You're welcome." Green eyes shifted, observing how the two of them looked on her full body mirror situated directly on her opposite wall.

Blue met green through the reflection and then Ami stood up to reposition herself and sit on Makoto's lap, directly facing her. Both of Ami's palms landed on Makoto's cheeks gently and the taller woman relished in the warmth.

"I need you." Ami pleaded.

"I know." Makoto answered understanding.

"I love you too." The bluenette admitted.

"I know…" The other woman answered more softly.

"I understand…" Ami said before melding their lips together again.

Makoto responded fervently and it was her hands that moved first and slipped the straps of Ami's nightgown off of her shoulders; baring her breasts to the taller woman. Her kisses travelled lower until she stopped for her eyes landed on a marking on Ami's pale skin that she knows is not her doing.

"You are hers…" Makoto almost pulled apart but Ami's hands kept her in place.

"Not tonight… Please, Mako-chan…" And she saw the need of her friend for reassurance; that she is beautiful, that she is wanted, that she is loved.

Ami stood up once more and let her nightgown fall to the floor before reclaiming her spot on Makoto's lap. She let her lips travel on the taller woman's neck and sucked on her pulse point.

Makoto's self control fell, and an involuntary moan escaped her lips while her eyes were set on fire by her friend's advances.

Ami pushed them both downwards and rid her of her clothing in less than a heartbeat.

"Slow down…" Makoto teased and Ami smiled when she saw that the other woman had finally relaxed.

"Then why don't you take the lead as always?" She shot back and stilled herself, pushing herself slightly higher against the bed.

With that said, Makoto exchanged positions with her and it was now her who was trailing kisses, sucking and trying to give as much pleasure as she could with every touch.

Ami shivered with each sensation caused by Makoto especially when the taller woman parted her and a knee ground itself against her nub of pleasure.

"Mako-chan…" She moaned, her hands trying to push her friend's head lower.

Makoto looked up and smirked. "You are such in a hurry…" She had teased but travelled lower nevertheless until her tongue can taste her wetness.

On her inner thigh was another mark that's evidence of why she's hurting and Makoto avoided this altogether.

"It's alright; you can blur it if you want…"

Makoto looked up and saw that Ami had propped herself on her elbows; watching and putting into memory everything that Makoto had done.

Yes, that's all I can do actually… Makoto thought. Blur the pain until she comes back and mark you as her own again.

She let two fingers slip in and Ami fell flat on her back once more and squirmed. Makoto's tongue travelled to Ami's pearl and alternately licked and sucked while her fingers pumped in and out.

A scream of her name signaled to Makoto that she had succeeded; that Ami had reached her peak; and she slowed her fingers and sucking until the spasms had stopped. She crawled upwards and fell down beside her friend, watching her catch her breath. Ami rolled closer to her, used her arm as a pillow and wrapped an arm on her waist.

"Will you let me this time?" Ami asked after a while of their silence and relaxing in each other's arms.

Makoto looked down at the woman beside her and raised both eyebrows questioningly. "This isn't about me…"

A sigh escaped before Ami answered her. "True, but I feel very selfish when you phrase it that way…"

Makoto took in a huge breath. "Okay…" She had agreed and watched as Ami took her position earlier.

"Do you know why we love you so much?" Ami's question surprised her and it showed on her face.

"Because…" A kiss landed on the crook of her neck. "You are stable." Another kiss on her cleavage, "And dependable…" A lick on her nipple while a pinch on the other. She shuddered. "And very selfless my Mako-chan…"

And she let herself be marked too, caressed, and loved until she herself swam in the pleasure and stilled on her bed; against her best friend, her only known comfort.

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**A/N:** I have labelled beforehand that this story is for MATURE readers only. That is exactly what this story about, how love can be very complicated and webbed, but could still be described wonderful. Thanks all for reading, and please review.


	3. Chapter 3

*** Chapter 3 – Walk with Me**

"Here you go!" and an Usagi Special with extra whipped cream and toppings landed in front of Makoto. "As promised…" And then Motoki grinned contagiously that Makoto found herself smiling too.

"Wow…" she praised after taking a sip of her milk shake.

When she looked up, she saw that Motoki was watching her very carefully.

"What?" She asked. "Is there something on my face?" and she became self-conscious, thinking if Ami had marked her somewhere visible.

"Accompany me on s stroll?" Motoki offered and saw the hesitation on her face. "Come on, don't you want to see again the places where we've all hanged out before?" He pushed.

She considered his offer and decided that this wasn't a bad idea. "Okay." She said with a nod, taking her drink with her just like yesterday.

"Great!" He enthused, removed his apron and threw the key to the register at one of the cashiers who caught it effortlessly.

"Where to?" she asked when Motoki extended an arm as soon as he had joined her on the other side of the counter.

"Anywhere…" He grinned once more as he led her out of the store and out onto the street. "It's not like I can try harming you in some dark, dank, alley." He joked.

"You won't…" She laughed. "Because you can't…"

They walked and walked until they reached a bench on the park located beside a stream. Makoto remembered that this was where they had followed Chibiusa before and they all thought that she was meeting her way older boyfriend here. She had to laugh at the memory.

"Why?" Motoki asked and Makoto saw that he was watching her carefully again.

"I just remembered some things…" She answered, remembering how stupid they must have seemed then. Oh, how often did they seem stupid then, really? They even climbed a light post once because a dog chased them! She grinned with the memories flooding in.

"Mako-chan…" Motoki started after a while.

"Finally!" Makoto blurted, cutting him.

"Finally what?" He asked confused.

"Mako-chan!" She grinned. "You finally called me as how you used to call me!"

"Yeah, well…" He paused, looking directly at her eyes. "I figured that it's not actually the milkshake that can make a royalty come to the Crown's two days consecutively."

Makoto broke the eye contact and looked down. She watched the stream flowing as she leaned against the railing.

"You need someone to talk to; someone who wouldn't emphasize on you your responsibilities and demean your personal problems. And someone also who doesn't have an unbelievably high expectation on you." Motoki explained.

"A friend, not a royalty, and not a common citizen…" The woman mumbled.

Motoki nodded, pointed at himself and lifted his eyebrows suggestively.

Makoto had to laugh at his gesture but considered it. "Promise not to tell anyone?" She asked first.

"Or else what?" The guy joked again.

"I'd electrocute you to the point that even your bones turn into dust." And she let a display of jumping charges show on her hand.

Motoki gulped. "Of course your highness…"

Her face sobered and she pondered on what exactly would she tell him.

"How about the matter with the Kinmoukians?" He suggested, as if reading her mind.

She took in a deep breath. "What do you know about us and them?" She asked, to gauge where she would start her story.

"Only that they are not actually from this planet and they helped in the restoration after the frost." The old guy answered generically.

"I mean, from before… When they were still idols…" Makoto clarified her question.

Motoki was quiet a while as he tries to remember. "Only that the trio became entwined in your lives and that you appeared in a cooking show with Taiki Kou once."

"Entwined…" Makoto repeated. "And Taiki Kou…" She mumbled; the guy she's talking to seems to be on target every time. "You've got sharp memory I see."

Motoki smiled understanding.

The woman sighed and took her time in following up her story. "We all got attracted with each other's shine. Seiya-san courted Usagi-chan, Ami-chan and I both liked Taiki-san, and Rei-chan and Mina-chan were attracted on the other hand to Yaten-san."

"And?" The guy urged her to go on when she paused once more.

"No one knew which feelings were returned until after the frost. Before it, all we had were each other to lean on and support another. Except of course Usagi-chan, who always had Mamoru-san." She relented further.

Motoki adjusted the way he sits and leaned back more comfortably, feeling that this would be a long story in the making. "So after the frost?"

"Turns out, all the feelings were returned. Usagi-chan in a way loves Seiya-san but to a way lesser degree compared to Mamoru-san. Taiki-san loves me but lesser compared to Ami-chan. And Yaten-san loves Rei-chan but to a lesser degree also as compared to Mina-chan." She summarized it as much as she could without giving much detail.

"That's complicated enough…" Motoki agreed.

"Not quite yet…" She disagreed. "You see, Ami-chan is my best friend while the same is true with Rei-chan and Mina-chan. And, the Kinmoukians only visits in two, three, or four years; depending on their availability."

"Motoki tilted his head. "So what's the problem?" He asked, wanting to get to know the source of the woman's anxiety.

Makoto looked far into the horizon. "Swear to me, no one else should know…" She was so serious, and her eyes signaled to Motoki that the light story ends there.

"Of course…" He answered seriously.

"Every time they leave, they leave Ami-chan and Mina-chan so broken and vulnerable with the uncertainty of where they truly stand in their lives…" Makoto knows that her story jumped a few decades, but all those that happened in between were all but a means to an end.

"You hate Taiki-san and Yaten-san for leaving?" he guessed.

"No." She shook her head. "That much I can understand… I'm bound to Serenity-hime the same way they're bound to Kaykyuu-hime."

"You hate that Ami-chan and Mina-chan fell for them?" He guessed again.

"No, I myself have fallen." She admitted.

White eyebrows met each other. "You're jealous of the love shared between Ami-chan and Taiki-san?"

Makoto shook her head. "No, I love them both."

Motoki looked around distractedly, getting very confused at Makoto's story. "Why the anxiety then Mako-chan?" He stopped guessing, as his conclusions all turned wrong anyway.

"Because…" She took a huge breath, steadying herself. "I love Ami-chan above them all, second to the queen…"

"Mako-chan?" And Motoki reached out to turn her face to him very gently.

"I'm hurt when she's hurt and I'd do everything in my power to ease the pain as her second best." The brunette didn't plan on telling this much to Motoki, but there's no retracting statement now. She blinked away the onslaught of tears that threatened to get out.

Silence enveloped them while they stayed in that position, them looking at each other in the eyes and him resting his hand on her cheeks.

"You never changed… Not really… You are so beautiful…" The words ran out of his mouth without much thought. "Why do you have to be just second?"

Makoto retracted away from him and broke away from the gaze again. "Ami's got much love to give, I'm happy to be even just her second."

"Still, you can be the first…" He reasoned.

She stood up slowly and walked a few paces nearer the stream. "No one considered me as the first… I'm also Taiki-san's second…"

He opened his mouth but wasn't able to say anything.

She turned around so suddenly. "I have to go." And she disappeared into thin air even before he has the chance to answer.

"I did… You can be my first…" He said to where she once stood.

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**A/N:** Thanks all for reading.. but.. of the hundreds and hundreds of hits of this story, why didn't anyone ever left a comment? Is that a good thing or a bad thing? So please review, so I would know. hehe!


	4. Chapter 4

*** Chapter 4 – Duty**

"Somebody better be dying!" Makoto blurted as soon as she appeared and then slapped a hand to her mouth when she realized where she had teleported to.

All eyes were on her; the king's, the queen's, the council's, the judges', and even the cats'!

Neo-Queen Serenity stood up and smiled at her. "We summoned your presence Lady Jupiter because of the matter presented today by your magistrates regarding issues involving the trade with other sectors."

Makoto took the steps towards her intended place on the royal legislation court and sat down. On her table is a stack of papers for her perusal and approval.

"Change…" Lady Mars whispered to her.

"Huh?" She asked back as she picked up some papers on the uppermost stack and scanned the document.

Rei smiled. "Mako-chan, you're wearing casual clothes!" She whispered silently to her friend.

The brunette looked down at herself and her eyes widened when she saw that she was still wearing her sweat shirt and jogging pants. A glow of green light, and then Lady Jupiter replaced Makoto Kino on her seat.

She heard a soft chuckle and she looked up to the source; she saw that Lady Mercury was looking at her with a twinkle in her eyes. She blushed slightly and tried her hardest to direct her attention back to the legal papers in front of her.

"What say you, your highness?" A familiar voice (one of her judges) called to her.

"Uhmmm…" She stuttered, as she hasn't even an inkling yet of what she really could say about the matter.

"She will study first all the pros and cons of your proposals and decide on them before the next general assembly happens." The queen answered for her with authority and not one person in the whole kingdom dares question the queen's decision.

Lady Jupiter let out a huge breath. She has to remember to thank Usagi-chan for cutting her slack, she thought.

"Council is adjourned then?" The king asked the crowd in general.

There was a nod of assent and the council either started leaving one by one or approach their respective sector ruler.

Lady Jupiter instructed lengthily to her assistants to pack all the papers, read it and highlight important sentences, and bring it to her private study before disappearing to teleport to her room. She's too exhausted to even walk the halls and smile to anyone who would greet and bow down to the passing royalty.

"Hello!"

The voice startled her and she lost her balance; plus the sensation of teleportation not yet leaving her didn't help.

"Ouch…" She winced when she landed on her butt.

A chuckle followed the sound she had made and then felt arms pulling her up.

"Did the two blondes pass on to you their clumsiness when they lost it?" Ami asked playfully.

Makoto grinned. She should have expected her best friend showing up on her room when she didn't attend breakfast two days consecutively.

"One of those blondes is now the most powerful woman in the whole of this solar system, so I have no shame following her footsteps." She answered then slumped down on her bed.

Ami followed her and landed her back on her bed also, positioned herself perpendicularly to her, and used her tummy as her pillow. "I want to go back to sleep and sleep all day…" She yawned, stretched and made herself comfortable.

Makoto closed her eyes. "As tempting as that sounds, I've still got a stack of papers on my study to attend to." She answered dreamily.

"Don't fuss, it's nothing major. Judge whatsisname just wants you to consider acquiring greater lands from your sector for food supply." Her best friend summarized the stack of papers in one sentence for her.

"But the partition of lands for food supply and natural forest were already computed to give maximum benefits for us by you." She reasoned with eyes still closed.

Ami didn't move either and just enjoyed her position despite the seriousness of what they're discussing. "True, but I think your magistrates want the Jupiter sector to be a bit more autonomous."

"Who could benefit from being autonomous?" Makoto asked; her tone a bit irritated. "The inter-dependence of the sectors for supply and labor and natural resources keeps this kingdom in unity and balance! Those elitist judges just want more influence and power!" She finished, her tone rising.

She felt the woman leaning against her rise and shift position. And then, hands started to massage her head, calming her effectively. "Then just say nicely on the next meeting that you have studied carefully their proposal and have concluded that the present set-up is more beneficial."

"Nicely, huh?" Makoto scoffed. "I think even Usagi-chan sees through their ambitious goals also."

There was silence and sleep started to creep its way towards the brunette.

"Where were you, Mako-chan?" Ami asked softly, while she retreated her hands to her side.

"Someplace…" Her sleep fogged mind answered for her.

"Someplace I cannot know?" Ami shifted again and sat now directly beside her so she could see Makoto face to face.

Her friend's tone was soft and sounded merely curious but Makoto cannot help but feel that Ami was prying.

"I just jogged around Juuban…" She lied, and she doesn't know why. "For old time's sake…" She added for good measure.

And then, the air around them shifted before three very beautiful ladies made their presence.

"Good, you two are decent!" Minako joked instantly and plopped down on her bed also.

"Yeah, I can still remember last time!" Rei followed and the two on the bed originally both blushed.

Usagi walked more gracefully towards Makoto's bed and sat down also.

"Why are you all here?" She asked really surprised.

"Because you went missing two mornings consecutively?" Minako poked.

All eyes were on her. Makoto shook her head, fifty-five years old, but she still has no right to keep a secret from her friends. As to why she wants to keep meeting with Motoki a secret, she doesn't know herself.

"Come on, spill…" Rei urged again.

"She just went jogging around Juuban for old time's sake." Ami answered for her and retold them her story.

"And you believe her?" Minako asked. "What jogging can be so fun that you'd forget an all too important bi-monthly meeting with the whole royal council?"

"If that's what she wants us to believe, then we should believe it." Usagi, ever the very mature person she is now, spoke.

Rei tackled Usagi on the bed and tickled her. "Stop being the queen and be our friend! That's an order!" And then she laughed.

Usagi fought back and wrestled with Rei; but soon, even Minako was on their wrestling match.

Makoto and Ami looked at each other before they jumped into the rumble also themselves.

After a while, all of them were so exhausted from laughing uncontrollably and was just lying flat on their backs with limbs and arms tangling with another.

"But seriously though Mako-chan, tell us the matter if you're ready already… If not us, at least tell Ami-chan…" Usagi said while raising herself slightly.

"Yeah, best friend duty." Minako seconded.

Makoto nodded. That's the end of it. She knows that it's not really a big deal to tell them she's meeting with Motoki, but she wants to just keep it to herself for now. A world of her own…

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**A/N:** yey! thanks for the reviews. hehehe! sorry if I'm taking long nowadays to update my stories. I'll have a new laptop soon, so I hope to speed up a little. And oh, thanks for reading everyone!


	5. Chapter 5

*** Chapter 5 – Dinner Date**

She only wanted to apologize and make-up for always disappearing on him that's why she appeared that morning in the Crown's again. She didn't expect to be asked out; but she had no heart to refuse.

"How do I look?" She asked one of her personal maids while she studies herself in front of the mirror.

Her servant was confused, for in her mind, Lady Jupiter and all the ladies looked beautifully the same always; must be the magic she thought.

Makoto saw the maid's reaction to her question. "I mean, do I look presentable enough?" She asked and spun around to look at her.

"You always are beautifully stunning your highness." She answered honestly, but it seemed like too much praise still.

The royalty blushed and then grinned; and then disappeared.

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"Whoah!" Motoki was shocked with her sudden appearance and Lady Jupiter turned around at the sound of a crashing clay pot.

"Sorry, sorry…" She shuffled next to him and helped him stand up.

Motoki scratched the back of his head. "I think, I'm not yet used to sudden appearances and disappearances." And then he laughed hesitantly.

"I can understand…" She grinned then paused as she took in everything around her.

Motoki had decorated the room where he took her before and there was now a skirted table right in the middle of it. Pots and pots of roses are all over the room and there was a candelabrum on corners.

"Wow…" She praised.

"You liked it?" He asked while pulling a seat for her.

She nodded. "This is amazing!" She commended. "Looks like a real five star restaurant without the unwanted publicity."

"So you don't have to hide your beautiful face." He grinned at her before exiting.

When he returned, he was pushing in a loaded cart and started serving their meal.

"That's three times already…" She said timidly, a bit blushing.

"Huh?" He asked, not understanding what she was saying as he's busy also with ladling the appetizer onto her bowl.

She inhaled slowly, steeling herself. Why is she even nervous about this? She asked herself. "You told me I'm beautiful; three times already." She clarified.

"Ow that…" Motoki paused as he took his seat after setting their dinner on the table. "But you are very beautiful Mako-chan…" He complimented staring at her face.

"Four" Makoto joked to break Motoki's seriousness.

The guy caught on quick and laughed. They ate their dinner in near silence except for the usual and casual updates of their lives.

"Sorry for keeping you yesterday, I saw on the news that you were late…" Motoki apologized. "And that your magistrates made an issue of it…"

Her reaction was not what he expected: she rolled her eyes.

"Them scholars of the law always make an issue of anything regarding us." Makoto scoffed. "They once said that Endymion-sama is only a puppet to Serenity-hime's wishes just because he disapproved also the laws that are not amenable to her."

"Imagine, you're now talking politics." He grinned. "Before, all you girls talk about are the latest video-games!"

She laughed and stopped in her litany. "And you." She followed into his line.

"What?" He sputtered.

"We also talk about you!" She laughed. "You have no idea how big of a crush you are of Usagi-chan back then."

He choked on his drink with what she revealed. "For real?"

She nodded, then blushed. "And uhmm…" She looked down. "And… Me too…" She admitted. "Back then…"

His eyes were wide before it cringed into a smile. "Took you a millennium before admitting a crush?" He teased.

She laughed nervously. "You don't remember anything peculiar about me and Usagi-chan back then?" She asked then continued when he shook his head. "We were trying to outdo each other for your attention; that is, until we found out you have a girlfriend."

The smile on his eyes disappeared, and Makoto felt like she had said something terribly wrong as an uneasy silence settled around them.

Motoki took a huge breath. "I should have let go of her even way back then…" He muttered, shaking his head. "I loved her very much, but I was never in her priority. I should have seen that…"

Makoto was silent as she didn't know how to respond to what he said.

"Oh well…" He grinned, looking up at her again. "What's the point of looking back at those wasted years when I've got a beautiful goddess as a date?" The sadness was still in his eyes, but it was obvious that he was trying his best to lighten the mood.

She punched his arm playfully. "Say I'm a goddess again and I'd punch you for real!" She warned jokingly.

"If you punch me, I won't let you have a slice…" And he removed the cover of their dessert, revealing a freshly baked cherry pie.

Her eyes widened as her nostrils were tempted by the smell. "I promise to not hurt Motoki Furuhata ever, ever, ever!" She said.

He laughed and took to cutting her most favorite food. "That's a promise alright?" He asked as he served her a generous portion.

She took her fork and tried the pie. It was delicious! It was the same pie that she had loved and missed. She stared at him straight. "I promise." She even nodded to emphasize.

Motoki smiled as he watched her enjoying the pastry. As powerful and influential and rich the woman in front of him is; her happiness is still as simple as before: a milkshake and a pie.

"Can this be a regular thing?" He had asked, totally entranced without consciously knowing.

Makoto looked up to him smiling. "Why not?"

He wasn't sure if she understood what he meant. "I mean, you, going on dinner dates with me…" He elaborated.

"Date…" She muttered.

He nodded hopeful.

She smiled, a bit blushing. "Okay, but next time, let me prepare it."

He was stunned. He didn't expect her to be so agreeable. But she did say he was her crush right? The thought nagged at him before he broke into a wide smile.

"Thank you, I had a wonderful time." She said after finishing her meal, and she wasn't just being polite.

"Till next time…" He answered still obviously very happy.

She got up, approached his side, and bent down to peck a kiss at his cheek. When she straightened up, his eyes were looking dazed.

Lady Jupiter laughed at the way he looked before teleporting; and her laughter was still echoing in her room when she appeared.

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**A/N:** Thanks all for reading! And thank you very much for all the reviews. Love, love, love! hehehe! Sorry for the sappiness, but they should build a sweet relationship first before going through trials right?


	6. Chapter 6

*** Chapter 6 – Just Between You and Me**

Motoki was looking pale and clammy as he supports himself on all fours on the creaky and dusty wooden cabin floor.

"I'm sorry, are you alright?" Makoto asked, kneeling in front of him.

He was quiet and took huge gulps of fresh air before trying to sit himself still on the floor.

"The feeling will fade soon enough." She told him after a while and hoisted him up to the nearest chair.

He tried opening his eyes when he felt that his surroundings had steadied a lot. "How can you do this like…" And he snapped his fingers in demonstration, his voice still sounding groggy.

She left him in favor of placing the basket she was carrying on the table in the center of the room. "You're forgetting I'm not human. My body can survive and adapt to almost anything; even living in outer space without special suits." She answered from afar.

Motoki curiously looked around at the place where Makoto teleported him to without getting to his feet. "Where are we?" He asked, noticing that the house is obviously uninhabited basing on the amount of dust everywhere and the dank smell perpetuating every corner.

"This was my family's vacation house; that is…" She paused to glance at him "when my parents were still alive…"

After a week of no communication whatsoever, this is where Makoto took him for the date that she promised. Quite isolated, but he can understand why. "Explains why it looks so old… But, uninhabited, don't you have a caretaker?" He asked her as she busies herself on some stone formation that looks like an ancient stove. "It would rot if no one's tending it." He followed.

She shrugged her shoulders as a primary answer. "I visit, when I don't want anyone finding me." And then she looked at him over her shoulders, gauging. "Feeling better?" She asked.

He nodded and to his surprise, she got a broom and a feather duster from a cabinet and handed it to him. "Go, make yourself useful." She ordered, but winked at him before returning to the stove that she had successfully set on fire. "And I'll have a meal ready as a reward when you finish."

"I thought this was a date?" He blurted in protest; but she just smirked at him.

Motoki chuckled and proceeded in making the cabin they're in as inhabitable as possible. "So you mean, not any among our friends can teleport here?" He asked as he was busy removing as much dust as he could on the shelves.

"When teleporting, you have to at least have a vague idea of where you're going. You can't just set as target, let's say, a human." Makoto answered while returning to the table and rummaging in their basket and taking out some stuff.

The cleaning of the house was much more of a challenge than what he had expected. He even resorted to using powdered soap, a bleach and a brush on some areas. He was exhausted by the time he sat down again on his chair earlier and his arms are covered in soot; but the result was so worth it: the floors, the walls, and even the room next door looked sparkly clean.

Makoto saw him sit down and smiled. She got a face towel and took a bottle from her basket containing a blue-tinted liquid and approached the guy trying to regain his breath.

"Very good…" She praised while kneeling in front of him and wiping his sweaty face with the towel. "Drink this." She ordered and offered the bottle to him.

Motoki looked at the bottle curiously before taking a swig from it. "Wow, what's this?" He asked, when he felt instantly energized and looked at the bottle again with more curiosity this time.

She smiled a knowing smile and just proceeded in wiping away as much soot as she could from him.

"I must be the luckiest guy on Earth; I've got a very beautiful princess to wipe my hands clean." He joked, when she didn't answer.

"Yeah, really lucky…" She nodded and pointed at the now empty bottle in his hand. "You've just drank an Elixir of Mercury."

"A what?" He asked, sounding very unsure if he had done a right or a wrong thing.

She stood up when she saw that he's looking neater (thanks to her) than before. "Water is life." She started explaining while pulling him up to follow her to the dining area. "And Ami-chan's magical water can invigorate life faster than any liquid substance you could find."

He was still quite unsettled about drinking magical water, but his attention was caught by what was waiting for him.

He saw that a steaming meal was already set on the table for them. He must have been really very preoccupied with cleaning up, he thought, because he didn't notice her set-up.

"Wow…" He said for a second time that night.

Motoki was truly invigorated by the elixir but his appetite apparently increased, he noticed as he took another serving of the main dish. Or maybe Makoto-chan's cooking is just so great, he can't resist it? He asked himself and looked up, only to see a smiling Makoto already finished with her meal and was just watching him intently.

"I'm glad you liked it." She said upon seeing him look up.

He chewed, and then swallowed before speaking because his mouth was really full. "I loved it! Excellent dishes…" He praised and then returned his attention to his half-full plate.

"Excuse me." She said as she pushed her chair back and stood up.

"Where're you going?" He asked hurriedly, thinking if he had taken so much time eating already.

She waved her hand down at him to signal that he could continue eating. "As much as I enjoy watching you enjoying what I cooked, I have to light a fire, it gets very cold here at night."

And then she left him alone in the dining. She went back after a while and saw that he was already cleaning up.

"Let me." She said as she hurried to his side.

He pushed her hand away gently. "We share chores; you'll wash these anyway later." And he gave her his famous 'eyes-closed smile'.

"Okay…" She agreed when it was obvious he wouldn't let her and sat down on a nearby stool instead.

When he finished putting the dirty dishes on the sink and wiping the table clean, Makoto jumped from her stool and pulled him away instantly so that he wouldn't have the chance to start washing them.

"Come on…" She urged and dragged him into the next room and led him to sit on a rug in front of the fire.

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"Why me, Mako-chan?" Motoki asked, while testing with his finger if his roasted mallow is cool enough to eat. "You said earlier that the others don't know about this place; so I'm guessing I'm the first one you ever brought here."

"Isn't that a bit assuming?" She answered teasing and smiling.

He shrugged as a response as he was busy trying to eat his still hot dessert without getting a burn.

Makoto reached out to his hand holding the roasting stick and pulled the mallow nearer her. She blew at it gently then let go of his hand when she deemed it cool enough.

"Next time, try to wet the mallow first with water before roasting it so that the heat will travel evenly and not get the surface burned." She suggested.

He smiled as thanks then did her suggestion on his next mallow. He was satisfied that it cooked exactly as how she foretold it will.

"Because you're different…" She decided to answer his earlier question that just hung in the air and her eyes had that far-off look. "You can't invade my privacy even after knowing about this place."

He felt a little down with her answer. "I just thought that… maybe…" He sighed and he wasn't able to finish.

"Sorry…" Makoto didn't even know why she was apologizing but she felt like she had hurt him somehow.

"Mako-chan…" He started hesitantly, all the while his eyes following the dance of the shadow of the fire on the floor. "Do I have a chance?" He asked.

The woman looked at the man beside her directly. "Chance?" She clarified.

He nodded, and then looked at her directly also, that they are now gazing each other eye to eye. "Yes, a chance. Do I have a chance to be more than just your friend?"

Motoki's heart hammered like crazy because it was obvious that she was surprised by his question basing on the widening of her pupils. Hours ticked by, no, just mere seconds but each breath felt like he is taking his last while Makoto is holding back her answer.

He finally looked down when he felt that he had held her gaze long enough and that another minute would melt him on the spot. He took a huge breath, steeling himself because he knows that Makoto is so kind, it'd take a lot from her to hurt anyone she cares for.

A calloused but gentle hand lifted his chin up.

And a pair of lips met his and then retracted after a few seconds.

Makoto's turn to gauge the reaction she received with what she did, her heart hammering as bad as how his was, a few minutes ago. If Motoki was a youma, this is Sailor Moon's chance to finish him off, she thought, because he was so stunned, she was beginning to fear if she had electrocuted him somehow.

Until he broke into a wide smile, and then he stood up so suddenly she was confused.

"Yeah!" He shouted, pumping his fist high into the air.

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**A/N:** Thank you for the patience, and sorry if I'm taking way too long to update my stories, Unfounded Tomorrow especially. Really sorry. Anyway, thank you for always reading, following and commenting.

And on another note, I'm also an avid follower of several stories here. It feels so good that several of the good ones were updated recently. The others, well, please stop bashing any of the characters.. Seriously... Because, even if you dislike one, I'm sure that that character was vital in maintaining the balance and interaction of the Sailormoon-verse.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I Don't own Sailormoon; and I will never ever own it.**

*** Chapter 7 – Round 1, Family**

That's definitely a younger woman's voice; Unazuki sighed as she leaned against the opposite wall of her brother's bathroom. What was he thinking? Getting a young girlfriend when he's already fifty – eight! She wanted to shout at him but got distracted as the laughter of the woman was followed by a loud splash of water against the door.

The voice sounded oddly familiar to her somehow and she can't place exactly where she knew that voice. It was like, it was from an endeared memory so long time ago. She shook her head, steeling herself, determined to do the 'right' thing.

"Onee-chan?" She decided to let her presence be known and called to him after knocking on the door.

There was sudden quiet and obvious shuffling of feet and hurried but whispered talking; which was followed after a while by the sound of unlocking the door bolt.

Motoki appeared, wrapped in a towel from the waist down. "Hey, Unazuki-chan! What a surprise!" He said with a wave and a smile.

His sister waited, but no one else was stepping out of the bathroom. She was confused, so let herself inside the bathroom to check. Indeed, no one was there. Her eyebrows were meeting each other by the time she stepped out of the bathroom again.

"Is there something wrong?" Motoki asked, while he was brushing his hair, standing in front of his drawer cabinet.

Impossible! Her mind shouted at her, she was so sure that someone else had been in the bath with her brother. She took a lungful of air and then exhaled. "Yes there is, the store is not yet open at 10:00am, so I checked on you." That statement was an honest answer. When she passed by the Crown's from her usual errand of getting her kids to the school and saw that it was closed, she got worried and decided to check on him.

Motoki turned around to face his sister. "Sorry if I got you worried." He began by apologizing. "But I'm perfectly alright. I just wanted to have a relaxing day, so decided to close shop." He said with a smile.

The smile was too big for Unazuki's liking. That, and the fact that she heard another voice earlier, a woman's specifically, can't keep her heart from pounding. Her brother is hiding something big from her, and it worries her because she's his only family after all. She decided to ask him nicely. "I uhmmm…" She paused, unsure of how to phrase it. "Heard voices, earlier…"

Her brother scratched the back of his head. "I was listening to a radio drama using my phone." He lied, but it was lucky that his phone was really inside the bathroom with him.

"Okay." She nodded, deciding that it was believable after all, and that would also explain why the woman's voice sounded familiar. She wasn't convinced, but until she can pinpoint exactly what's nagging the back of her head, she'd let it go. Unazuki took steps nearer to her brother and then hugged him. "I'm here if you need someone to talk to." She said partingly before exiting.

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Later that night, the quite aged and slightly plump brunette can be found again going up the steps to her childhood home. Unazuki was carrying a small pot of stew that she had decided to cook for her brother. She's truly concerned, because he, smiling very widely because of a radio drama doesn't make sense; especially when she knows that he'd been alone very long.

And alas! As she was nearing the door to their old apartment, there was that woman's voice again. She grabbed the handle carefully and twisted it noiselessly, and to her relief, found that it was unlocked.

She peeked in, and she felt very guilty for doing so. She felt like she was spying on her own brother. Her trusted older brother that is, and she somehow almost turned away because of the guilt that's plaguing her

Until she heard her brother shout something, "Get up sleepy head! Dinner's set."

Motoki was visible from the door, and he had just finished setting up a simple meal on the table, and it's a table for two, Unazuki noted.

He looked at his watch and then shook his head before disappearing to the direction that his sister knows to be his bedroom.

She decided to enter fully now, preparing to meet the younger woman that her brother is keeping very silent about. She would gauge the woman for sure, because there's typically only one reason that a young woman will go to bed with an old guy: money; and that, their family has a lot of.

Unazuki placed the pot she was carrying on the set table then turned around when she heard movements from the hallway.

It sounded like as if, there was only one set of feet walking. The nerve of that woman! She was prepared to give a tongue lashing because she imagined that her brother was carrying the nearly naked young woman on his back.

And that was what she saw exactly when her brother appeared.

Motoki looked like he saw a ghost, and the woman he was carrying shuffled to her feet and looked down and hid behind him. Unazuki can't help but feel pride in making the girl feel embarrassed. And anyone would actually, because the girl was just wearing one of her brother's long-sleeved polo shirts only, displaying her long legs that she cannot hide.

The siblings stared at each other long, until the elder one found his voice. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

He sounded angry and it helped her temper soar. Unazuki fumed and then took steps towards her brother to approach the young woman but Motoki was blocking her repeatedly.

"Why are you hiding her?" She asked back as she stepped back also, making their distance pronounced again.

There was no answer so she turned around to make a beeline for the door.

Makoto didn't want this; she doesn't want to severe the close relationship of the siblings. "Wait, Unazuki-chan!" She had shouted after her and both of the siblings froze.

The aged woman turned around, her mouth agape.

"I'm sorry…" Makoto started, stepping in front of her boyfriend; her tears in check. "I asked him to keep me a secret from everyone. I know you would understand why." She had explained out of desperation, they never intended to be found out this early on their relationship.

Unazuki overcame her shock after a while; so did the most logical thing to do that popped on her head. She bowed. "Your highness" She greeted and bowed.

Makoto felt that her current state of undress is becoming an issue; so she let her power flow from her head down to her toe and she turned into Lady Jupiter in a blink of an eye. "Please rise." She said to the woman who was still bent in front of her. "And please Unazuki-chan, treat me as an equal." And she took a seat at the nearest sofa.

There was deafening silence as the three adults stare at anything except each other while they seat comfortably.

"Sorry Unazuki-chan…" Makoto decided to break the silence and apologize for the third time that night. "I mean, for hiding this, but I assure you, I have no ill intentions towards your brother."

"May I speak freely your highness?" Her old friend refused to acknowledge equality.

Makoto nodded. "Of course Unazuki-chan, and…"

She was cut-off by the aging woman in front of her. "I believe that you are a good person milady, but…" She paused as she stood up and collected her things. "I also believe that you are toying with a mortal's soul. What do you get from it anyway? He'll die soon; we all will. Except you, because you are a goddess."

After saying her speech, she bowed respectively once more, before going out the front door.

Motoki reached out and squeezed his girlfriend's hand. "She will come around Mako-chan."

Lady Jupiter nodded, but she seemed lost in thought. "Do you feel that way?" She asked, staring at the door still.

"What?" Motoki asked confused at what she was referring to.

"That I'm just toying with you? After all, you also called me a goddess too…" She sounded nearly in tears now.

Motoki pulled her in and enveloped her tightly into a hug. "Not at all Mako-chan… I love you, you understand me?" He asked while giving her assuring kisses on the top of her head.

She finally broke down but nodded.


End file.
